Many drugs or drug candidates have been developed for the treatment of various cancers, including some small molecule compounds. However, current treatments for many cancers are not very effective in patients with specific subsets of cancers, or are too toxic in such patients or in general.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. In 2007, The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 8,110 deaths will occur from melanoma and another 59,940 cases of melanoma are expected to be diagnosed in this country.
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes which are found predominantly in skin but also in bowel and the eye (uveal melanoma). It is one of the rarer types of skin cancer but causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths.
The currently available treatment includes surgical removal of the tumor; adjuvant treatment; chemo- and immunotherapy, or radiation therapy. Of particular danger are metastases of the primary melanoma tumor. However, there remains a need in the art for improved treatments of melanoma.